Pope Leo XIV rejected claims that God justifies war during a Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
He dedicated his homily to his insistence that God is the “king of peace” who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed.
Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions, but Pope Leo XIV emphasized that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.
He prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East who are “suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict” and called for Christians to raise their prayers to the Prince of Peace to support people wounded by war and open concrete paths of reconciliation and peace.
Pope Leo XIV is due to preside over this week’s liturgical appointments, including the Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony and the Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum.
